Reduce number of products you use!

We have become so obsessed with good looks that sometimes it seems almost impossible to imagine our life without all those cosmetic products we use daily. Each new piece makes us delighted whether it is a lipstick or a bottle of perfume. But when purchasing and applying these products we rarely think of their safety for us. And some of them, or maybe all of them, are unsafe…

According to a new report, most of our favourite cosmetics are cocktails of industrially produced chemicals, which means they are potentially dangerous and can damage our health.

Research by Bionsen, a natural deodorant company, has reavealed that an average woman applies approximately 515 different synthetic chemicals on her body every single day with makeup and other grooming products.

The chemicals are included in every cosmetic product as well as household cleaners. This explains why so many people have allergies, develop skin sensitivity and even suffer from serious hormonal disturbances, fertility problems and, what is the most horifying, cancer.

Let’s talk about at least one set of common components of shampoos, hair gels, shaving gels and body lotions – parabens. They are designed to preserve the shelf-life of your cosmetics, and are one of the most widely used preservatives in the world. But nowadays the safety of these are being under question. A range of different studies has linked them to serious health problems including breast cancer, as well as fertility issues in men.

Methylparabens, for example, were considered safe for a long time but recently it was found that they can mutate and become toxic when exposed to sunlight, causing premature skin ageing and an increased risk of skin cancer.

And unfortunately Methylparabens are included into more than 16,000 products, including moisturisers and toothpastes. Cosmetic producers have always defended their use of parabens on the grounds that they can’t be absorbed into the body. But the majority of leading researchers disagree with that. Dr Barbara Olioso is one of them, she is an independent professional chemist.

She says:

Research shows that between 20 and 60 per cent of parabens may be absorbed into the body.’

We think that we are protected by a number of laws directed on making cosmetic products safe. For instance, producers are required to list all the ingredients a product contains. But at the same time cosmetic manufacturers do not have to tell customers about any impurities found in the raw materials or used in the manufacturing process, so long as they don’t end up in the finished product.

The Cosmetic Toiletries and Perfumery Association claims laws work perfectly:

Stringent laws require all cosmetics to be safe, and each product undergoes a rigorous safety assessment. The number of ingredients in a product, or whether it is natural or man-made, has no bearing on how safe it is.’

Besides, they say that any chemicals are present in safe doses and can’t harm us. However, this is again under question, because what the ‘safe’ level is? It cannot be the same for normal adults and young people, and children.

Even if separate products do not contain dangerous doses of chemicals they can be unsafe if we use several products together. Women use lots of products daily, and the cumulative effect of so many chemicals being used all over their bodies cannot be insufficient.

As Charlotte Smith, spokesperson for Bionsen, says:

Women have never been more image-conscious and their beauty regimes have changed over the years, from a simple “wash & go” attitude, to daily fake-tan applications, regular manicures, false lashes and hair extensions.

Lots of the high-tech, new generation cosmetics and beauty “wonder” treatments naturally contain more chemicals to achieve even better results, which, of course, means women apply more chemicals than ever before.’

The ultimate picture is not very nice. If you want to be healthy and protect yourself from chemical overload, try to reduce the overall cosmetics usage. It is a good idea to switch to natural or organic products. And be very careful when buying a new product in a store, read the label first to find out if it is safe for you.

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